After a recent trip to Dahlonega, Georgia, I'm became obsessed withwanting to know more about the U.S. Mint that had been there and itshistory. To say that "The Neighborhood Mint: Dahlonega in the Age ofJackson" by Sylvia Head, Elizabeth W. Etheridge, gave me all theinformation I ever wanted to know would be an understatement. Their200-page book is packed with facts, figures, stories, and bits ofhistory that sometimes were overwhelming. At times you get the feelingthe authors are "beating a dead horse", but I was never left withmysteries or unanswered questions.

Being a student of US coins, I was fascinated as to the role politicsplayed in the coinage of our money, establishment of mints, and whomthe mints employed. The authors drill down deep into the personalitiesand motives of the individual players. Additionally, I was fascinatedto learn that Dahlonega was the site of the first American gold rush,not California. The Dahlonega mint never did produce the coinageanticipated by its developers for numerous reasons, which is alsoexplained. I wouldn't recommend this book to the fainthearted. If youare history buff, coin collector, or a student of politics, this is agood read. If you are not, stay away.

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